Corps approves Georgia's request to cut Lanier withdrawals




By Ashley Fielding afielding@gainesvilletimes.com




UPDATED: November 23, 2011 12:09 p.m.





The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will soon release less water from Lake Lanier, granting a request from Georgia to hold on to a little more of the source of much of metro Atlanta's drinking water.

The corps, which manages Lanier, plans to reduce releases from Buford Dam beginning today, according to a news release from the federal agency.

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after state officials requested a reprieve for the lake, citing drought conditions throughout the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, which includes Lanier.

Allen Barnes, director of Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, asked the corps to reduce the amount coming out of Buford Dam to 650 cubic feet per second, 100 cfs less than the normal minimum flow.

The 750 cfs standard is meant to make sure there is enough water flowing in the Chattahoochee downstream of Atlanta to dilute the city's treated sewage and ensure the viability of the river's wildlife. One cubic foot equals about 7.5 gallons.

The target flow of 750 cfs is based on the amount of treated wastewater the city released into the river in 2007, according to the Nov. 7 letter.

In his letter to the corps, Barnes argued that the reduction in flows would not negatively impact wildlife in the Chattahoochee River.

The EPD estimates that Atlanta is releasing as much as 20 percent less wastewater into the river than it was four years ago, according to the letter.

The corps, issuing its decision in today's news release, agreed.

"After evaluating the data, we determined that the decreased flows would not have a negative
effect on the environmental quality of the river and would allow some minimal increase in storage for the system headwaters," corps spokesman Pat Robbins said . "This increased storage, while not significant at this time, could prove very beneficial to the system if the La Nina weather pattern persists as predicted."

Forecasts of below-normal rainfall in the winter and spring could have continued effects on lake levels, which are already sinking to lows that do not support navigation.

The reduced releases will not be visible to the general public, according to the corps statement.